


The One Good Deed

by JamieLegend



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), F/M, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I have to fix it, M/M, Multi, finished work, it will get more complicated as we go on, lemme fix it, more characters will be added as chapters progress - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:17:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14455986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamieLegend/pseuds/JamieLegend
Summary: You could spend your whole life running - and yet it will catch up to you. Everything you ever did wrong, every mistake you've ever made will come running your way and there is no way to avoid it. Stand strong, then. Look the danger and misery in the eye and say "The sun will shine on us once more."





	1. The Fake One.

**Author's Note:**

> SO  
> i watched infinity war, right? What was that. What. The moment I stepped out I was already working out a million and one way to change it because I love all those dorks too much. So here you go.  
> The first chapter of many, and hopefully, I'll wrap this up before the second movie comes our way! Please, leave any comment down below and enjoy!  
> Thank you so much!

The ship was eerily quiet. It shouldn't have been this quiet.

He was one thousand and five hundred years old. There was death, destruction, constant suffering that followed him wherever he went. He was a god of mischief – mischief brought casualties. Casualties that shouldn't have happened sometimes happened. And there it was.

The whole of Asgard laid around him – dead, mangled bodies strewn around. He never cared for them, not really. They were people of Asgard while he wasn't one of them.

But the last few months of endlessly floating through space he came to care for them. The men and women of the place he grew up in – not his homeland, but the people that were there when he grew up. People that he felt like he could call his countrymen were now laying on the floor, dead. 

Yet a few still lived.

Heimdall, struggling to breathe close by him, with a nasty gash that Loki knew had to be healed immediately or the other would bleed out and die.

Thor.

The stupid, idiotic, problematic man was there. He was grunting, fighting for air as that creature held him up by his collar.

He could feel the breath of his minions around them, and he was only half listening to what that stupid creature was drooling about. 

He didn't care.   
He had to fix this.

Thanos came for the Tesseract. He knew that much. He knew how important that gem was – even Odin knew how important it was.

So when he ran from Asgard, he took it, storing it in within a small pocket of his magic to keep it safe. Only he could access it – and Thanos knew it. Thanos knew it so damn well that there was no scratch on Loki as he stood there.

He looked up to Thanos, watching him dead in the eye. 

He had to stay strong and not give him the Tesseract because the moment that he would give it to them it would mark the beginning of the end for not only them but for the whole universe. 

And universe contained Thor. 

The stupid, idiotic, problematic man, that Loki was too desperate to protect at this point. He spent so many years, he tried so many times to put him on the straight and narrow path. To be the hero like he was.

But how can he be a hero, when he sees the flickering, the pain that he’s causing his brother? He can’t. He just can’t.

Every cell screamed in his body with Thor, begged, pleaded –

But the universe.

He remembers soft fingers that went through his hair and his mother making him take a few steps back to see the full picture, to see everything she was working on.  
“See the big picture, my love.” She whispered to him and he would stare in amazement at her work. It was stunning.

So, he had to do it. This one time.

He reaches with his magic into his tiny pocket, where he hid the magical item. 

It will take so much off him, so much. But he has to do it.

Loki is completely full of magic. It’s like breathing to him.

Every single moment, from his earliest childhood he was able to perform it. As his brother could fight, he could perform wild magic to make your heart stop. He was conjuring tricks to entertain his mother since he was young, he has spent many years with his nose in his books reading all he could about it.

And the magic of making double of everything… Well.

He knew he had to make the stone more convincing than anything he ever made before. He had to make it perfect. So in it went. His fingers laced, spread open and he poured as much magic as he possibly could.

He had a chance, thanks to their one final result.

Hulk.

The man burst in, screaming bloody murder, and it was enough for Loki to dive to the side, knowing no one was looking at him. Not him. So, he started with his plan. He knew Tesseract well. He knew its powers, he knew how it worked. The power itself rubbed off on him as he had used it before.

So replicating something he knew would be fine. 

But to make it convincible you have to put something in it. So much energy that Loki felt it tearing him apart, wrecking him. But he had to do it, he had to pull himself apart and pour as much as he could in it. 

His eyes flickered to his hands and he was satisfied with his work. It would work for long enough for them to leave them be and for them to get out of range. Inform that stupid gang that Thor spent time with and they could stop this bastard.

But he had to make sure he could get away as well. If he could get away, he could give everyone a fighting chance.

Do some good. For once.  
Ah, his mother would be so proud.

Next, he needed to make a duplicate of himself. Hand flicker, and he made a duplicate of himself. He knew that much and the magic he needed to make a duplicate of himself wasn’t too hard. He made so many in his life that this one would be no different.

Finally, he fell back, leaving his duplicate standing along with the fake Tesseract. Every breath hurt, searing pain, and he had to fight back from groaning and whimpering in pain. 

One last, final thing.

He took on a different face.

The form of the same, lanky, black-haired man was an illusion from the start. He was a Jotun giant – blue-skinned, his hair was jet black but he didn’t look like this.  
So exchanging a look was nothing new for him.

He fell on the ground, among the bodies of others, and he kept his eyes slightly open to watch the scene in front of him.

It was a good copy he had to say that. Good enough.

Now, it was all up to Heimdall. Heimdall had to get either Thor or Hulk out. After all, he heard him calling for the real gods to save them. The real gods. 

It was his one chance.

He looked at Thor and hoped, no, he prayed to whatever force was above them that it would be enough. That his spell would be enough to buy them time. He had to buy them some time because that was their only option.

He had to do it for himself.

For Thor. 

For the universe.

He heard the familiar hum of the Bifrost and he leapt up, latching onto the Hulk’s shoulder, and just like that, the whole world went out and he couldn’t see the familiar rainbow colours of the Bifrost. Just the endless dark.

But the Tesseract was safe and away from Thanos. 

Loki has made so many duplicates of himself, that the art of making one was so well done, that he could even recover some memories of it when the clone died.

The memories rushed in soon, quick, and scattered. The clone was rushed, so the clone had enough will to rush into his death.

He saw a few images flash by as the universe passed by and his mind started to slip away into sweet oblivion.

The last words – his clones were always a bit more honest then he was.

A dagger pressed to the purple skin.

Thor.

_Thor._

And then the world went black as he lost his grasp on the Hulk.


	2. A Short Break.

There was a soft ache that spread over his body. Slow, tranquil, hanging onto every fiber of his being. Like a warm bath that you struggled to rise from after a long, long day.

Loki had more long days then he could count and this was no better.

Slowly, he came into his own. He felt that he was laying on the soft, warm soil and the smell of freshly cut grass filled his nostrils. His fingers curled and he could feel the grass underneath him, still slightly fresh and damp from the morning dew. 

Without opening his eyes, he started to assess the damage. Nothing was broken, as he could wiggle everything, even if it’s just a little. He was bruised badly, as he could feel every cell protest when he rolled his shoulders. 

His eyes opened slowly, and he took in where he was. 

The greenery was bright and there was a distant sound of those odd metal things the humans used to travel. God, he hated Earth.

Carefully, one limb at a time, Loki stood up, one hand lifting up to clutch his side where he must have landed. 

It hurt, all of it hurt, but he slipped his fingers into his small pocket dimension and he immediately breathed a loud sigh of relief. It was there. The Tesseract. 

He looked up, staring at the green field that rolled all the way to a city in the distance. He saw faint smoke lifting from it, and he narrowed his eyes. Great. 

Sighing, he started to walk. He knew he was far too exhausted to actually try to perform any kind of magic, and even tapping into the infinity stone was far too dangerous. 

The thoughts of Thor, of the ship, of everyone there, plagued his mind. The few snips of memory his clone left him hurt too much. He remembered that disgusting screech of metal as they were attacked, the screams of people as they were killed right before him… 

And Thor… Thor.

Did he truly hate him now? The way he stared at him as he passed the fake Tesseract to Thanos, that glare… 

Odinson – that’s what his clone said didn’t he?

“Hey!”

Loki lifted his head as he saw some people come out of those metal carriages, both of them staring at him. 

He straightened his back as he looked at them, and he surely couldn’t tell who is who – strangers. He stared at them before looking in front of him. He had to keep going, he had to find… who?

Stark – wasn’t that the name of one of those stupid humans that Thor associated himself with? And Strange, the magician? 

Where was he exactly?

He stopped and looked at those two who looked just as lost and as confused as him. He had to think of something. New York – that’s how Thor called that place, he was certain of that.

“… Where is the place called New York, people of this planet?”

The ride to New York had to be one of the worst rides he ever had to undertake. That horrid creature would lurch and slow down as they sped towards that grey town where the smoke kept raising. 

The humans in the car, a woman called Sara and a man called Mark explained to him what happened in the past two days.

Aliens came back to New York, they said. The destruction was mostly contained and ended quickly. And just as they thought that the first bits of dust could start to settle, people started to disappear.

One after another, half of the people around them at random turned into dust. Everything was thrown into such a chaos – and the heroes couldn’t be found. 

Loki kept his hand to his side, the other covering his mouth as he took it all in. Thanos succeeded – used, the fake stone must be close to breaking at any moment. 

Loki stayed in the car as the two jumped out, running into some tall building. They knew someone connected to the Avengers – association Thor was a part of when he came to Earth, and they were certain she could help.

But he only kept thinking about what happened to Thor. Where was he? He said he loved this wretched planet – surely he would have tried to protect it. He had to.

Loki didn’t want to even imagine a universe where Thor was gone.

His eyes snapped open when he heard them approaching him again. He opened the door of the vehicle and stood up to face the woman. She was pale, freckled, with dark bags under her eyes. Her lips quivered as she approached him.

“Loki? The Loki?” Her voice was high as she approached him. Loki raised his eyebrow at that, before sighing. She must have just known him from his attempt at seizing this wretched planet. Not that he did plenty of good things after that, but hey.

“At your service.” He muttered though he planned on not serving anyone anymore. Not after what he saw… No.

The woman blinked, before clasping her hands together to hide how shaky they were. He knew that action too well – he did it too when he was young. 

“T-Then! Then you must know where Tony Stark is, yes? I contacted Captain America and they haven’t heard from him-“

Loki frowned before breathing another sigh. He clutched his side, knowing he must have broken a rib. Shit. Still, he shook his head.

“No.” 

The woman’s exhale was shaky at best, a sob at worst. He figured she must have been the Stark’s wife, but he couldn’t know exactly.

“I do have questions myself. Who are you? Do you perhaps… have any news where Thor is?”

The woman nodded as if she was telling herself to get it together. Finally, she nods once more and looks him straight in the eye.

“My name is Pepper Potts. And Thor – the last we heard he appeared in Wakanda.”

Wakanda. The human talent in naming places will always escape him.

“I must ask.” She said and he noticed she was reaching for something in her bag that hung off her shoulder. He figured it was a weapon – his reputation here was surely as bad as you could imagine.

“I assume you will ask me if I’m affiliated with Thanos. No. I have received… a brief synopsis of events that transpired here by those two.” He nodded in the direction of the two humans that brought him here. The woman’s posture softened and she nodded.

“Now. How do I get to that place you called Wakanda? I might… have a way to help.”

The world was collapsing, he was told as he was placed on an emergency flight to some new spot called Africa, where he was told, this Wakanda place was in. He didn’t care much for their talk – he knew that would happen. He just didn’t want Thor to be hurt by it.

He didn’t ask for any help with his side and had just laid back in the seat, as they used up one of the rare, still operating planes to take him there. Sleep came easily for him, and he trickled away as they traveled.

His magic was painfully gone. No matter how much he tried to conjure even the slightest hint of healing magic, he couldn’t find it. The most he could do was slip his hand to check if the Tesseract was still with him in the tiny, pocket dimension. A helpful trick, one his mother taught him so many years ago.

He has jolted away when he heard the people on the plane talking all of a sudden. He opened his eyes and looked around as they entered what seemed to be a jungle – and then it suddenly wasn’t anymore.

Long, lush fields – one part was scorched, however, and a city skyline. He frowned slightly but stayed put until the plane landed.

He wondered how he looked. He must look really messy – his clothes were still dirty as he refused any of the stupid clothes humans wore, and his hair must be a real bird’s nest. 

Maybe a shower would do him good.

And a thousand year long nap.

He was alerted they would land in a few moments, and that the Captain and Thor – and the rest of the survivors were waiting for them.

The landing wasn’t too nice and he bit his tongue to swallow the pain from when his side was jolted. The longer it went untreated, the worse.

But, it all faded away as he got up and carefully got off. He saw them all there, standing and staring at them. He recognized some faces – the Captain, Bruce… And there he was, standing at the very start of the row.

Thor.

Loki immediately looked him over. There were some burns on his skin, his patch was gone, but… He was there. He was there…

“Thor-“

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence when the man left the row to come to him, strong arms going right around him, hugging him close to his chest. Loki was surprised, and he breathed a weak laugh as he reached up to lightly pat the other’s back.

But Thor wasn’t letting him go – in fact, his grip only tightened.  
And oddly enough – Loki didn’t want him to let go. 

Because, if the world was ending, this was the right place to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sob thank you all for all your kind words and kudos !!  
> Especially big thanks to my friend Sara for being a wonderful source of comfort and the biggest support anyone could ever have.  
> The next chapter will be soon, so see you then!


	3. A Soft Promise.

He noticed the redness around the girl's eyes as she fixed his broken rib. They had pretty advanced medicine for humans, but he wasn't impressed. Still, he glanced at her from time to time, simply because he couldn't stand the stare that Thor was giving him from the other side of the room.

“There. You should be good to go.” The girl moved away from him as fast as she could, and went to look at the computer screen.

Loki watched her for a moment, before slipping his shirt back on. It wasn’t anything special – the moment Thor and him parted on that airplane runway, Thor had instructions for him what to do. Shower, medicine, and the next stop seemed to be food. Those humans around him tried to protest but he appeared to have shut them down with a glare.

That’s his brother. 

Always looking out for him – even when he least deserved it.

So, he slipped off the table and gave one last glance to the girl by the screen. She must have lost someone very dear to her. 

“Thank you.” 

With that said, the girl glanced up at him, before doing a small nod and looking back to the screen. She closed her eyes briefly, before opening them and going back to her work.  
Loki didn’t say anything further, merely looked towards his brother. Thor stood from his chair and started to walk. Without a word, Loki followed after him.

They walked along a winding hallway, passing by some humans who all seemed to give them a double take, before continuing on their way.

Thor made a sharp turn to one of the passing hallways. Loki followed and tilted his head. This one ended with a wall and two rooms on each side. But Thor made no move towards each, just standing there.

Broad shoulders seemed to lift sharply and fall down harshly with each breath. Loki moved both arms over his chest and just waited.

He knew Thor. There was something heavy weighing on his mind and he must have needed a moment to get it all straight.

After a few moments of silence, Loki opened his mouth to say something, when Thor sharply turned around. He grasped Loki by the shoulder and pushed him roughly against a wall.

The look in Thor’s eyes was odd – wild, nervous, and Loki watched as every reserve fell from him.

He lifted one hand, grasping Loki’s cheek, fingers moving along the familiar lines of a face that just had to be real. He looked too real to be a figment of his imagination, something his grief-stricken mind would make up to help him deal with the trauma of missing his beloved brother.

But he was there, those blue eyes with an odd green hue to them were staring right back at him. 

His thumb went over the top of his cheek, along the side of his face and he finally grasped his chin, tilting his head up to make sure their eyes lock. 

“I watched you die.” His voice was too shaky, he hated it. “For a second time, I watched you die.”

Loki stared back at him and Thor wondered what was he going to say. He always did this – taking two moments longer than him to figure out what he was going to say that Thor did. He was always so _damn_ smart.

But he doesn’t say anything this time but instead closes his eyes.

Thor waits, with his heart beating in his ears.

No words come from him, but Loki lifts his arms and wraps them around his neck.

Something in Thor falters. Some pain that he thought he managed to bury and hide twitches and turns, searing through his insides.

A choked up breath escapes him as he wraps his arms tightly around Loki, with his face pressed now to his neck.

He’s here – those are familiar arms that are around his neck, the scent of home that comes from his skin, and the comfort that he brings is too real to be fake.  
How he escaped what happened there, on that poor ship, how he crossed the universe to come back to him, Thor didn’t know. He didn’t even care to begin with.  
They all lost so much, yet he was lucky enough to hold his brother, the only thing he ever needed and wanted so painfully close. How often do they have to come close to an ending for them to realise that what you need is right here?

“I thought you were dead-“ He gripped Loki’s smaller frame tighter as if he could protect him with just these two arms. But he didn’t. Thanos lifted him up, squeezing all of the life from him until he laid like a dead heap of flesh on the floor.

“I can assure you I’m quite alive.”

Thor breathed a shaky sigh, eyes closed tight against Loki’s skin. He worried he might have been holding him too tight – he saw that Loki was clutching his side. Knowing the other too well, he didn’t have to guess he didn’t even see a healer.

“Don’t ever leave me.”

“I won’t.”

Thor pulled back, pressing his forehead against Loki’s, his eyes open now and trying to really judge what was he telling him with that handsome face. What was really going on in his mind? No matter how close he got to him, no matter how often he thought he finally cracked the code, Loki always surprised him.

That was something he loved about him, surely.

“Swear it.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up, that familiar smirk he knew too well. “What would you have me swear on?”

Thor could name a million and one thing. On their mother, on his power, on Asgard. But all of that is fickle or gone from this world. Only thing Loki really had was Thor himself. 

And if he had to go by anyone’s hand, he would want it to be Loki’s.

“Swear on my life.”

Loki’s smile faltered, and he just looked at him. Once again, he didn’t know that look. 

Did they really have a wedge between them that he couldn’t cross? Was Loki really out of his reach?

But his fingers move, and Thor can feel the familiar, cool fingers splaying over his cheek. There’s a burn just above his cheekbone, and Loki is careful not to touch it. Always careful.

Finally, when the silence was too thick to swallow, Loki spoke.

“I swear.”

The breath that left the blonde was harsh, making his whole body slump, his forehead slipping to rest against Loki’s shoulder.

He couldn’t lose him. Not again.

He didn’t move, as Loki’s fingers brushed through his hair, just enjoying this one quiet moment. He didn’t need to be clairvoyant to know they won’t get another any time soon.

“How.” He murmured softly and pulled back a little to look at Loki. "How did you do it?"

“The Hulk was perfect. Gave me… just enough time to make a decoy of myself and hide among the crew members. When Heimdall… called the biofrost, I caught a ride on him and crashed somewhere near that New York. I found some of these humans to bring me to you.”

Thor sighed and smiled weakly at Loki. Of course.

“I had to know that couldn’t be you. A god of tricks goes for the obvious attack with a dagger? I know you like daggers, but I know you’re far smarter than that.”

Loki smiled, shaking his head a little.

“On that, we can agree.” He murmured and looked at Thor. They were both exhausted, but they both knew that their war, this war, was nowhere near its end.

“What do we do…” Thor murmured, watching Loki’s smile waver and disappear. 

It was Loki’s turn to press his face into the crook of Thor’s neck. An innocent, soft gesture. Thor half expected a dagger, but it was obvious that even Loki was too tired for any grand scheme.

So, he just gently brushed his fingers along Loki’s neck, resting his palm against the small of his back to help him stay up.

Loki always played too many games in his mind, trying so hard to think ahead of everyone and everything that he would just exhaust himself beyond reason.

If anyone could know how to fix it, it had to be Loki.

Yet, a part of him didn’t want it. He wanted to give Loki the soft ending he wanted. A break. The more he started to get through Loki’s walls, the more he worried about him.  
He noticed it first on the ship.

Loki came back to help them get inside. He was the one that offered his magic to people even though they pulled and shied away from him. He tried. Thor knew he did.  
And now he was here, fighting away death to be here with him.

Could he say to anyone that they would do that for him? He lost his friends, most of his family. Yet, Loki stayed with him. He stayed with him after everything.

Closing his eyes, Thor leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head, with eyes shut tight. He will keep him safe this time. No matter what it takes.

He felt Loki’s grip tighten, ever so briefly at the affection, before he pulled back.

He leaned back against the wall, and he noticed his quick glance to the hallway. No one was there, so when Loki looked back to him, Thor pulled back a little to give him space.  
After all, he knew that he was never much for physical affection.

“… I didn’t just make a fake copy of myself.” Loki said, and Thor watched him reach back – ah, magic. He never understood any of it, not really. So, when Loki pulled his hand back, showing him the glowing, blue cube he did feel his throat run dry.

“The Tesseract.”

“Yes. Hulk proved to be a good distraction.” He sighed and turned the cube around. The blue light washed over his face, showing how exhausted he was. Whatever he made for a copy had to have taken a huge toll on him, considering he looked like he hasn’t slept in years.

“The copy is… a good one. But it will break soon. I can’t sustain it much longer.” Loki frowned, looking back up at him.

“He’ll come back. As will everyone else he turned to dust. I can’t say when – only that it will be soon.” 

Thor just stared before pulling back, to run a hand through his hair. He will never get used to the feeling of this short hair. 

“And when he does, he will come back here, won’t he.”

Loki merely nodded, before he pulled his hand back and the box was gone. He was quiet before he looked up to Thor.

“You’re not mad at me?”

Thor stopped, blinking slowly, before resting his hands on his hips. “Mad?”

Loki just raised an eyebrow, as if he expected Thor to have perfectly understood what he was telling him. But he didn’t so Loki merely sighed and lifted his hands up to rub his face.

“I… did this. I made this royal mess, all those people-“

There was actual, genuine hurt in Loki’s voice and Thor… Couldn’t take it. That pain resonated too well with him.

So, he pulled Loki in his arms once more, this time making sure that he held him as tight as possible and kept him as close as possible.

“No. No, you haven’t. Thanos did. He killed all those people. And we… We will finish him.” 

With that said, he leaned down pressing a soft kiss to Loki’s temple, all in hopes that he could take away Loki’s pain.

That’s all he ever wanted to do anyway – not that he could admit it to anyone.

_Even himself._

“I swear to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again thank you all for reading so far and for all your comments and kudos! I could not be more grateful.  
> This one has been more emotion-oriented, but the next one will start with the whole time-to-fix-what-happened part. It might take a while as I will have to get everything in order and what not, so see you soon!
> 
> Also, a huge thank you for Sara for being such a positive ray of sunshine in this whole thing. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have even started this or continued it. So thank you boo.


	4. A Quiet Plan.

The air was thick with suspense as they all sat down. Thor and Loki sat together on one side, with the rest of the surviving Avengers on the other side. It was to be expected. The last time Loki saw them, they did try to kill one another.

Still, he didn't expect to see them all so destroyed and guilt wrecked. All of them lost someone very dear to them – and yet Loki, the one who brought them all together in the first place, has cheated death and now sat in front of them, looking comfortable as ever.

Not really comfortable – but they didn’t need to know that.

“… so you managed to save the Tesseract. But how could Thanos do what he did anyway?” The blonde spoke and he glanced briefly at Thor. Thor looked back at him and mouthed ‘Steve’. Ah, that was the name.

Loki sighed and shifted slightly in his seat. “I’m exceptionally skilled at magic. Making a duplicate of things and people is one of my specialties. What Thanos has is a very well done copy of the Tesseract.”

He watched the man’s jaw tighten and the woman beside him shifted. She moved her blonde hair from her face, before speaking up. “And you can break the spell?”

Loki raised an eyebrow and was just about to say something snarky when he felt a light tap on his knee from Thor’s hand. Ah. 

Before they entered, Thor asked him not to be an ass. How boring.

“Yes. And soon. It’s tiring to keep it up.”

“Keep it up for a while longer so we can think of a plan.”

This time it was Thor who moved to reply to the blond. “He can’t – it’s a tiring spell. He doesn’t have the strength.”

“Let him find it. We just need a proper plan.”

Loki closed his eyes, trying his damn hardest not to snap. And he even had a perfectly good one at that. 

But it was Thor who took him for a loop when he spoke. “Loki is strong, yes, but his magic is tied to his life force. If he spends too much of it, he could…” Loki glanced at Thor who took a brief moment before replying. “When Loki says it’s too much, he’s breaking off the spell. With a plan or not.”

Loki’s eyes widen briefly before he notices the hand on his knee still didn’t move. He moved his hand down, briefly laying it over Thor’s for the slightest hint of comfort. He only had Thor backing him, and by judging by the looks of those across them, they weren’t too happy with his reply.

Not that it bothered Loki.

These people were nothing but strangers to him. He barely remembered their names when Thor introduced them to him, and he didn’t care about them enough to really risk his life. The only person he cared about in this room was Thor.

Finally, the man that seemed the leader, that Steve fellow, leaned forward, resting both of his elbows on the desk. He was obviously trying to make himself look like the largest figure there, even if it was a stupid thing to do when the man that hosted the Hulk was there.

Then again, humans made no sense to him.

“So. Do you have a plan?”

Thor looked over at Loki, deferring to him for plans as he always seemed to. Loki lightly poked his hand off his knee before he leaned forward in the same manner.

“… Hand me the Tesseract. I can use its power to move Thanos from one trap to another. If we distract him enough… the strongest of you could pull the gauntlet off his hand. I am not sure if when I… break my spell that all the people that died would come back. But with the gauntlet, I could bring them back.”

“We are not giving you the gauntlet.” The man said through his teeth, to which Loki just raised an eyebrow. 

Well, he couldn’t blame him for not trusting him. People made dumber decisions than that, sure, but despite his appearance, he figured this one wasn’t as dumb.

“Nor are we giving you the Tesseract.”

Oh, but that was dumb.

He frowned and closed his eyes. “I am the only person here who knows how to wield it.”

“And the least trustworthy.” The woman added and Loki merely glared at her. He shifted to straighten up and felt a strong lash of pain spread from the pit of his stomach all the way along to his lungs.

The pain was almost bright – the way it had cut through his innards, lashing all the way to his throat. Only because he clenched his teeth did he not protest in pain. It made him stiffen considerably and he knew people were staring.

He knew they were thinking that he was planning to explode on them, to lash out. Demand respect and what not.

And maybe he would have done it, had he not gone through what he did.

Thanos’s hand squeezing Thor’s skull until the man screamed, the power of those stones that flashed under his skin was a too fresh memory, too disgusting, which left a horrible,  
bitter taste in his mouth.

His body was protesting against him, and he knew his limit was a lot closer than he wanted it to be. 

His vision was slightly blurry, but he could see the disgust on the face of ‘earth’s mightiest heroes’. He’s too old for this.

“Fine. Get killed by Thanos then. The moment my magic breaks, he will fall upon you and murder you _himself_ for attempting to fool his plans. I will not be here for that.”  
With that said he stood up, trying to ignore his weak knees.

“Loki-“

“Leave me be.” Loki quickly shut down his brother, too exhausted to try and sit down and reason with these men. There were how many of them? And none of them managed to stop Thanos.

Only he managed to save both the stone and the person he loved. How pathetic.

The door slammed behind him and he felt nausea lift up his stomach, through his lungs. He coughed, hand pressed to his mouth. 

Loki was stumbling along the corridor, coughing into his hand. Finally, he moved it from his mouth only to stare at the blood that pooled in his hand.

His limit was staring him straight in the eye. He needed to break off the spell as soon as possible, but how could he get to safety then? How could he get Thor away from the carnage that was waiting for this wretched planet? How can he keep Thor from helping them anyway?

This was ridiculous. 

When did he become so soft and weak to let others control him? He should have just taken the damn thing, grab Thor’s hand and pull them away somewhere safe and break the spell. Let them deal with that monster.

No, he agreed to play by Thor’s rules probably damning the both of them. 

He lifted his hand up, coughing again, his body bending over as he did. The blood was thick, dripping from his fingers. He had to stop it, he had to – he didn’t manage to keep any food he was given down, his body was cold to touch and now this? 

Loki was running out of time.

The corridor he found himself in he didn’t recognize and he didn’t have the energy to try and orient himself around again. Instead, he pressed himself against the wall, breathing heavily. He couldn’t wipe his hand on his clothes or on the wall – and he didn’t have the magic to clean his hands with that.

Just as his knees buckled he was caught by someone. 

His head fell forward, resting on the person’s shoulder as they held him tight, trying to pull him up. But Loki was no better than dead weight and the person gave in, getting on their knees and letting Loki lay over them.

He opened his eyes, and the silhouette was grey, murky. He was unable to focus, unable to think, but even he knew the touch on his cheek, the calloused hands and rough knuckles that brushed along his skin.

“L-“ The voice was distant even though the person was right there. He could feel life slowly leaving him as the magic that was so intensely tied to him and his life force was hitting him hard.

Still, he tried to focus, even if it killed him.

“Break the spell, by all that may be holy, please-“

He closed his eyes, head lulling to the side, but his body was shaking, as strong hands tried to shake him awake as if that could help.

He knew someone was calling his name, he knew that the tone was desperate as familiar fingers tangled in his hair.

“You _swore!_ ”

The words break through the fog of his mind and he could see some – familiar lines of a face he knew too well, the hand that kept brushing the hair from his eyes while the other held him up somewhat.

His own hand trembled as he lifted it, fingers pressed lightly – as if the mere touch could bruise, but he knew he made a promise. 

And he’d be damned if he broke another promise to Thor.

It took so much strength for him to snap his fingers, but such a simple action was enough to break the invisible magic that tied his life force to the fake stone that sat snug in a golden gauntlet.

As if he could hear it crack, Loki breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Features around him got clearer, the fog started to disperse.

His bloody hand was still laying over Thor’s cheek, and that handsome face was twisted in pain as it looked down on Loki.

“I suppose my limit was closer than I imagined-“ He muttered, his voice laced with exhaustion. How could he protect Thor in this state, make sure that he wasn’t hurt by that damn Titan?

Thor let out a shaky breath, still brushing at his face, trying to get the sweat and blood away from his mouth.

“Don’t.” Thor shook his head and tightened his grip on Loki’s side. “You’re here with me – that’s the most important part.”

Loki felt a tiny tug of his lips before he lifted an eyebrow up, just to tease him. “Didn’t you mention something about going our separate ways-“

“You’re the one that came back.”

Loki hummed, closing his eyes. He really was caught in a net, wasn’t he?

“Wasn’t I promised a hug?”

Thor made a weak laugh, his hand slipping from Loki’s face into his hair. “I’ll do you one better.” And his lips found Loki’s, soft and light – as if he could break underneath him.  
And maybe he could. He was exhausted, tired beyond words, yet he wished he had the energy to return the affection. He wished he could show that he cared – cared more than  
he’d allow himself to admit.

Instead, when Thor pulled back, Loki merely managed a weak smile. This had to be enough for now. For now, this had to be enough.

“We need to get you help-“

Loki shook his head, weakly grasping Thor’s shoulder. “No. What we need to do is get out of here before Thanos comes- Please.”

Thor looked torn when he said that, it was painfully obvious. His dumb brother carried his heart on his damn sleeve, blissfully unaware of the possible dangers that action could cause him. How he had such unwavering faith in others was beyond Loki.

He had to protect him. The one good thing in this damn universe. If he should do anything – no, if he had to do anything it had to protect Thor.

“For me – leave this planet for me, Thor.”

Thor shook his head, looking desperate. “They’d all die, we can’t do that!”

“Let them die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!   
> This chapter ended up being cut in two, because I figured it was getting too long. The second part of the whole 'plan' is coming really soon. I just wanted to end this on a lowkey cliffhanger - good note.
> 
> Once again, big thanks to Sara, with who this would all be impossible.


	5. To Avenge.

Water washed the disgusting taste of copper blood out of his mouth. The blood mixed with water dripped between his fingers into the sink.

He felt Thor's warm hand splay over his back between his shoulder blades, helping him relax a little. His power has been flowing into him with every moment passing, settling in his blood, as natural as breathing. 

But with each second their time was ticking. A moment after a moment, they were closer and closer to Thanos coming their way to get his revenge.

They didn’t have any time for him to fully recover. 

“Feeling better?” Thor asked him as Loki straightened up, clutching the sides of the sink with his hands. He was still pale and exhausted but at least he was there, fully.

“Better is a loose term now, but yes.” Loki looked over at his brother who relaxed, even if it was just a little. 

Thor pulled back, leaning against a wall. “Now what, brother?”

Loki frowned in thought and just listened to the water flowing from the faucet.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom swung open and the two turned to see who was intruding on them, both expecting it to be some of the Avengers.

Instead, it was the two women he saw in the meeting room that said nothing. A young little girl, with dark skin, who tried to look calm and collected but whose eyes were puffy and red, and an older woman with no hair, who looked like she was carrying the weight of this world.

“Can we help you?” Loki said, clearly annoyed. He knew everyone was suffering, but he needed some privacy and at least a couple of moments to get to his senses and recuperate.

The older woman said nothing, only rolling her shoulders back. But the younger one spoke. “You. You said you could bring them back. All of them.”

Thor looked over at Loki, raising an eyebrow. Loki shrugged briefly before looking back to the women at the entrance to the bathroom. “In theory.”

“In theory – in theory, what would you need to do that?” The younger one spoke again, wringing her hands together. “I can make what you’d need, no problem – I just… I just need you to bring them back. Please.”

The two brothers exchanged glances, a quiet, short silence settling between them. Loki wanted to be trusted and he knew Thor wanted to trust him again. They both, badly, needed a win.

So, Loki looked back at the girl and tilted his head.

“Ever made a staff?”

It was in less than ten minutes that the four of them were going down the hallway. Her name was Shuri, and the older one was Okoye. A formidable duo, Loki thought to himself, as they walked. Shuri’s hands would tremble here and there before she’d squeeze them into fists.

They all lost something, Thor told him, but something about Shuri told him she lost more than many.

Loki’s attention was drawn to Thor who gently grasped his wrist, looking down at him with that one odd brown eye and one striking blue eye. Ah, the moment they have some time he will fashion him a better eye.

“Still loosely better?”

Loki felt his lips tug into a small, odd smile. His brother really had… a knack for getting the best out of everyone. Even him. And he knew that Thor could almost sense his nerves and fear building up in him.

“Loosely better.” He nodded, moving his hand to lightly squeeze his as they walked. Thor gave him another soft smile before they were back in the meeting room. Inside was now only that Steve and the blonde haired woman – wasn’t she red before? 

Humans.

Either way, the four of them entered, earning a surprised glance between the two.

“Hand over the Tesseract.” Thor said, his grasp on Loki’s hand was gone. It made him straighten his back, knowing that he had to hold his own now. Even if the only thing he wanted was to go to sleep on the softest possible bed.

The Tesseract glowed in its known, soft blue hue on the table. Loki could just easily move there – if not with magic, he believed he could still be faster than those two humans. 

Besides, he had Thor on his side – and he wouldn’t want to be on these women’s bad side.

“And what do you plan to do with it?” The woman spoke and Loki then remembered – Natasha, wasn’t it? Right, he could remember her from the memories of that Avenger he used back in New York. 

“They know how to fix this!” Shuri spoke, taking a few steps forward. “They can fix this! When he came, the whole battle turned! And he… He saved a gem from that monster. They can fix this. I am helping them.”

The girl’s back straightened as she glared them down. The quiet woman behind her moved close, her grip on her staff looked almost painful to Loki.

“I know you’re upset, but-“

“I do not wish to hear a but!” The girl said and swallowed hard. There were gears turning in her head before she looked over at the woman behind her. She gave the woman a nod and shifted to the side just as Okoye quickly went around her and grabbed the Tesseract, giving it quickly to Loki.

“Wait!”

Thor moved, standing between Loki and Steve.

“Do not come closer.”

Loki sighed at that, and moved his hand to his back, placing the Tesseract back to his own, tiny pocket dimension. He lightly patted Thor on the back, giving him a quick look. 

“Listen. Young lady Shuri offered me her help. But I will need you all working together. The stone… broke. Thanos will be here before you even know it and wasting our time bickering is useless and will get us all killed sooner.”

Shuri grabbed him by the arm and tilted her head. “Let us go, odd man.”

Loki nodded, before turning back to them.

“If you want your friends back… Follow me. I might have a plan.”

Loki spoke to them, explaining the plan he thought of while the young scientist behind him was working with Banner watching over her, though he didn’t dare to touch whatever she was working on.

Everyone agreed – some more reluctantly than others to Loki’s plan.

Loki then moved away from everyone as they went to get changed. He used some of his magic to conjure his old suit of armor and went to stand by one of the still whole windows to watch over the sky. Any moment now, Thanos could come and destroy what little he planned on saving.

Like that, that Titan could really kill him now and would probably kill Thor in front of him to make him suffer.

Loki was fine with his own death – but seeing Thor suffering or getting hurt was out of the question. 

Just as his mind was getting clouded over with thoughts of horrid possibilities, Thor pressed his hand to his back and moved to stand beside him.

“Your plan – it will work.” Thor assured him, keeping his voice low. After all, Thor knew that Loki probably didn’t want extra attention on him. “It’s not 'get help', but-“ He chuckled and even Loki gave in with a small smile.

“It will do, won’t it?” Loki muttered and Thor gently squeezed his shoulder.

“It will.”

The two of them stood together for a few moments, watching the green field. Just as he was about to turn, the young girl showed up to him.

“I pulled video from your attack on New York, and this is what I managed. It’s not golden but…” She offered the staff to Loki, who reached out to take it. The staff was just how he remembered it to be – except it was now almost a platinum silver.

Boring color but it will do for now. 

He felt a tiny nudge to his side from Thor which reminded him, so he quickly looked up to her. Ah, right. 

“Thank you.” He said and the girl nodded, wringing her hands together. 

“Just bring them back, yea? That’s more than a thank you.” With that said she went back to the group which was now all looking at them. 

Right. Loki reached back and took the Tesseract. It was with a tiny wave of his other hand that he took away the casing and slotted the stone in the staff. The staff was aglow with magic that he could feel pulsing through it and into him.

It should work.

He gripped the staff and decided to test it out. It was the Space stone, so…

With a simple wave of the staff, all of the group was transported into the field. Thor stayed beside him, but he kept the group at the distance.

Thor laughed and clapped Loki on the back. “There we go!”

Loki chuckled and just as he felt some ease settle over them, there was a loud sound – like someone hitting a drum, almost knocking them to the ground.

They all looked up and there it was. 

**Thanos.**

Loki looked back to Thor, and he wished he had a moment to tell him how much he needed this victory, how much he needed Thor to live – for all of them to live. 

But there was no time. 

“Remember what you promised.” Thor told him and Loki couldn’t bare but a tiny smile. He wiped it as he looked back to everyone. 

The whole crew waited with baited breath, but Loki nodded weakly, mostly to assure himself. Gripping the staff he let out a sharp breath. 

“Be ready.” He said and he moved his staff and they all disappeared, leaving him alone on the field.

Thanos had decided to jump from his ship, the ground cracking underneath him.

Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the way he landed, but he couldn’t help the twinge of fear resting at the bottom of his stomach.

This man almost killed Thor. He killed Heimdall. He killed so many. So damn many.

“What was that you said about resurrections?” Loki said, making sure he pulled enough of his magical seider around himself, invisible and strong, around him. 

Thanos may be the strongest being that ever walked the Universe – but Thanos had no reason to win.

And Loki had _one._

“I should have seen it coming. A knife is weak, even for you, trickster.” Thanos’s voice rumbled, echoing through the field.

Loki shrugged theatrically as he saw him come closer and closer. “A knife makes it sound worse. I prefer the word dagger.”

Thanos sneered, obviously unimpressed with the banter that Loki provided.

Loki waited for him to come slightly closer, just to see the pure rage on his face. 

And then it began.

As much as he liked elaborate plans with many schemes and plays, this just wouldn’t work. What they needed was to distract Thanos long enough for Thor to end him.

And no better way to distract him but with a space stone. 

The blue stone that settled in the new staff glowed as Loki waved it sharply to the side, whisking Thanos right in front of Steve who lurched in front of him to hit him.

But Steve was miles away. 

“I would like the visual now, please!” Loki yelled, lifting his hand like how Okoye told him to. 

The bracelet – which in no way matched his outfit, suddenly glowed and a screen showed a holograph of Steve fighting Thanos. 

Another wave of the staff and Thanos received a full punch from Natasha. 

Another wave, and the staff that Okoye wilded went through his eye.

Another wave and Bruce used Iron Man’s suit to hit him square in the jaw.

It wasn’t an easy job to keep shifting him from spot to spot and keep a mental track of everyone. Especially not with the storm that Thor was brewing right above him.

The hair at the back of his neck stood up as electricity started to crackle through the air, the thunder rumbling deep in his bones.

He then saw on the visual Thanos’s arm bleeding heavily, the blood running along the gauntlet. 

No better time than the present he thought to himself and prayed with everything that was holy and to any god who might hear him, that Thor was ready.

Another wave and Thanos was now falling through the sky. 

Okoye’s staff was still embedded in his skull, the blood was trickling down his body. 

It will surely be a story everyone will tell for ages. But now, with thunder crackling –

He was getting too cocky.

Because right then, Thanos twisted in the air, using the Power stone to slam against the ground hitting him off.

Thanos started to bend reality itself to get closer to Loki, but Loki couldn’t dare to move, not yet, as he tried to find Thor in the clouds to bring him down on Thanos.

Thanos was gaining ground, faster than Thor was moving to him.

Was this all the Titan’s ploy, to get Loki too comfortable? Did he receive those attacks just so he could use them against Loki, make him think he’s weaker than he thought?

There was no time for another plan.

It all happened in a blink of an eye.

Thanos managed to reach him.

The thunder crackled above him.

There was a sharp, horrid pain as he felt something pass through his middle.

And the smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils as he lost the grip of the staff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHRIST.  
> Anyway.  
> This is about to get super complicated in upcoming chapters. Fingers crossed for my soul.
> 
> Again, this whole fanfiction is for Sara. I promise you, you'll want a friend like her. Go follow her tumblr, it's : captain-trash-panda.tumblr.com


	6. Immeasurable.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh.

Stormbreaker is a sight none can truly appreciate like he can. The light would hurt their eyes – but the thunder could never hurt him.

It crackled around him and he felt it streaming into the axe, filling every space inside of it with raw power.

With the power that he planned to lodge as deeply as he could into Thanos.

Thanos took everything from him.

He took the few people he managed to save from Hela. He took his mentor, Heimdall, in one fell swoop.

And then he took Loki – or at least so he thought.

Loki, always the trickster, always the one with something up his sleeve.

Loki – the one who was saving everyone. 

He then saw Thanos appearing right under him.

But Thor could feel it in his bones that something was off.

Even though Thanos looked injured, looked like he was seriously hurt, the man had suddenly twisted to the side and shot at incredible speed down, towards... towards...

A scream tore from his throat as he tried to beat him to Loki. 

He lifted the axe above his head, Loki's name tearing from his lips. He needed to stop him before he could even touch a hair on Loki's head before he could even breathe the same air as him.

And then everything exploded.

Stormbreaker met with the Titan’s neck. It lodged and Thor felt his blood boiling underneath his skin, and he leaned down. He wasn’t sure if Thanos could even hear a thing.

“I aimed for your neck.”

And with that, he forced the power that was left in the axe into his neck, splitting it off his head.

The heavy body of the Titan wavered and fell to the side. Underneath him was Loki, his beautiful, idiotic brother-

Thor kicked the Giant’s body away and quickly gathered his sibling in his arm, careful of the spear that went straight through the man’s chest.

“Oh Gods, Loki – Loki, tell me how to fix this-“

Loki’s eyes were settled on the sky and he looked towards to Thor. His lips were barely parted, and blood dripped from the side of his mouth, staining his pale skin.  
Loki watched the damn sky, so Thor looked up as well, the evening sky shining over the tree edge. “Look, brother, you were right. The sun is shining on us.”

Loki’s lips twitched into the tiniest smile, and Thor looked back at him, seeing his face. That handsome face.

“What did this world do to you, brother-“ Thor murmured, brushing his brother’s hair back. “But no worries! I know you! You had a clone, you’re going to come laughing like a madman in a moment, teasing me…”

But nothing came as Loki closed his eyes.

Thor stared for a few long moments, just as the sun went down.

He could hear people coming, but when he looked around, his brother wasn’t among them. Looking back to the body in his arms – the fair skin turned dark blue, with white and red markings all along it. 

Jotun.

Carefully, Thor dragged the staff out of his chest, throwing it far off.

“What did this world do to you-“ He repeated, laying down the body on the grass. Thor had to fix this, he had to set the record straight.

He stood up, going to the discarded, headless body. He tore the gauntlet off of it, and he heard someone yelling his name. But, he pulled the gauntlet on, the power surging through him. No – he grabbed the staff Loki used and broke it, pressing the blue stone into the gauntlet into it.

Gently, he picked up Loki’s body again and decided to use the power in it.

He remembered that young man who looked at him with a teasing glint in his eyes but made no move to tear the world apart just to prove a point. 

His darling brother who he could always count on.

The one person he always loved.

The world hasn’t been kind to him, the world hasn’t been kind to them.

If only he could have seen what was going through Loki’s mind, not be so damn focused on the throne that he didn’t truly want.

Why would he need that desperate approval of his father when he had the approval of his mother, his friends, and Loki?

All who were now dead and gone, leaving him all alone.

If only he never talked Loki and his friends to go with him to Jountenheim. 

If only he paid more attention to Loki.

If only he had a chance for one more day with his parents.

“The sun went down brother-“ He murmured as he tried to let his mind drift into the power of the gauntlet, to make it give him back what he lost.

If he could beg, he would.

What else did he have to lose?

Thor remembered asking Loki once what magic felt like. He never showed any talent, unlike his younger brother who seemed to use it as naturally as breathing.

He remembered Loki frowning ever so slightly in thought before he turned to look at him. Just like breathing, he said, which made no sense to Thor. When he told him that, Loki merely laughed.

Oh, how he missed that laugh.

Thor missed all of it.

He missed the sun in Asgard. 

He missed the people in it.

He missed the parties he had with his friends.

He missed his mother’s stories.

He missed his father’s lectures.

_Loki-_

He needed this gauntlet to work, he needs to go back far enough so Loki was whole and so Thor could take care of him.

He needed to save him.

Thor closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to Loki’s chest, saying one final prayer to the Gods before using every amount of power in the Gauntlet, anything, that could help him save Loki.

Suddenly, he woke up.

He couldn’t breathe, his sheets were sticking to him from sweat. Thor couldn’t get a single breath in – as if he was drowning while not even touching water at all. 

He pressed one hand to his chest – bare chest, trying to calm down his racing heart.

Lifting his other hand, he pushed his long hair back, letting it move from his face.

His wide blue eyes stared at the tall door of his room – of his…

Finally, his breathing calmed down and Thor realised that he was nowhere near that field. Or Midgard for that matter.

No, he was…

Quickly, he got up, going to the mirror in his room.

No.

The man staring in his reflection wasn’t the tired, weary man, with mismatched eyes and grossly short hair.

No.

Turning around, Thor ran from the room, running down the hallway to the door on the other end. He threw it open, seeing the familiar figure all curled up on the bed, with a book tucked under his chin and a candle that went out hours ago.

He quickly made his way to him, pulling the book away, and forcing his brother on his back to check his chest for any wounds.

The young man under him groaned, opened his eyes for a mere moment before he started to curse Thor for waking him.

That…

Thor couldn’t help the choked up sob that escaped him, as he suddenly pulled his brother into his arms.

A second chance to perform that one good deed.

The one good deed that would save Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO UM.  
> First of all, sorry it took so long, I had exams.  
> Second of all, I honestly didn't plan this twist and I've been debating it for awhile. The story will continue, so bear with me, yeah? Christ.  
> I'd appreciate any input or comment! I read them all, I'm just too shy to reply most of the time, hah.
> 
> Also, another thanks to Sara - the wonderful human who makes all of this possible.


	7. At the Start.

“Is it just me... or is your brother acting rather odd these past few days?”

Loki’s ceaseless drumming on his mother’s table stop and he looks up to her. The woman isn’t exactly looking him so much as she’s looking over to him where his brother was happily chatting away with his father about… something. Loki had no stomach to ask about it.

He’s used to people looking over him to Thor – but at this moment he welcomes it.

A few nights ago, Thor suddenly had burst into his room, clutching onto him for dear life. His eyes were misty as he kept checking on Loki, asking him if he is alright if he has any visible wounds. Loki wanted to chalk this up to some odd dream Thor had, but when Thor insisted that he stays in his room, Loki wondered if there was more to it than his brother just dreaming of goonies and monsters.

In the morning, Thor had his fingers wrapped around Loki’s wrist as he tugged him to his parent’s chambers to check on them. Their parents were surprised, but while his father laughed off his enthusiasm as his jitters for his coronation that was due in a week, his mother seemed to have noticed the same thing Loki did.  


This Thor… was odd.  


This Thor seemed to be constantly checking if Loki was alright. This Thor, when one of his friends made a snide comment about Loki hanging around them started to quickly defend him, as if Loki needed it.  


But, he didn’t know how to react or what to say.  


So, he stays quiet at all of it.  


“Seems so.” He replied and looked back down to a book which he had been trying to read. Just as he was slowly getting back into it, a heavy weight falls on his back and he could feel Thor’s beard rubbing against his cheek.  


Groaning quietly, Loki tried to shrug him off. “Off, you big idiot – can’t you see I’m reading?”  


“I can. I was merely curious as to what you’re reading.” Thor replied and still didn’t budge.  


Since when does Thor bother with any of his readings? Why does he care about it? Why is he so sensitive about Loki and his wants? Does he suspect him of foul play? Does he expect Loki to do something?  


Does he know about his plans with the…  


No – he can’t. After all, he’s been all over him and he couldn’t get a moment to himself.  


Loki groaned and tried to press his hand to Thor’s face to push him off. He heard their mother chuckle at their antics, and the fact that she was watching such a childish display, made a small blush settle on his face.  


“Leave me be, Thor.” He groaned and pulled his shoulders back to shake his sibling off. Though he did manage to get his sibling off, Thor pulled a chair and dropped on it. Loki tried hard to filter his older brother out who was now busy telling something to their mother.  


But the sudden tone shift made him lift his heavy eyes from his book.  


“Postpone your coronation? Why?” Frigg looked rather surprised, her face a tone paler.  


Loki turned his head to look at his sibling with raised eyebrows. His brother seemed calm – happy even to postpone something he couldn’t shut up about for the past few months. And so close to it? So many ambassadors traveled here just for that event and now he wants to postpone it?  


Closing his book, Loki shook his head and sat back. “Now it is official, mother. Someone is impersonating our darling brother here. I have to say, great work on the facial reconstruction and voice changing, but-“ He waved his hand. “Take it from an expert in clones – marvelous job. The only part you got wrong is my brother’s damn ambition and thirst for greatness. Postponing an event all about him? Very unlikely.”  


He got up, taking his book with him. Thor looked at him like he was a puppy that Loki just kicked. “Do you believe me to be just that, Loki?”  
Loki tilted his head before a deep frown settled on his face. He didn’t want to play these games anymore. “I know you to be just that. Asking about how my day has been, what book I’m reading, and telling your friends to stop picking on me after letting them do it for decades is hardly any evidence you changed.”  


“Loki.” Frigg tried to cut in to stop a fight, but there seemed to be no fight as Thor stayed quiet and didn’t start to wildly defend himself and accuse Loki of being just a negative, depressed brat.  


Which he is – Loki won’t deny it, but he didn’t understand why Thor was so fine with letting him tear into him without saying anything in return.  
Thor just makes a weak smile – one of those smiles that would melt your heart. It’s so damn genuine and soft that it makes Loki turn his head around and start to walk away.  


“You know Loki that for you I’d tear up time, yes?”  


Loki tries to ignore what his brother called out to him, trying to shake away a feeling that something was not quite right.  


In fact, something was very wrong but Loki had no idea what that thing was.  


The coronation was postponed. It was no shock to Loki – after all, anything that Thor wants, Thor does get.  


However, his brother did keep some distance to him, though he was always there. Always watching, as if he was looking for something. What does he know? Why is he acting the way he’s acting?  


Is he planning on some sort of prank to embarrass him further?  


Loki started to dip into his magic to vanish away more often, but still, somehow, Thor found him. It was annoying. It was so… annoying.  


And one day, Loki decided to just get up and go. Thor has been bothering him for far too long, sulking away in his shadows or actively bringing people to their home who somehow made no comments towards Loki. Which must mean that Thor forbids them to.  


Before the crack of dawn, Loki packed a small bag of belongings. Some food, a book, change of clothes, and a blanket to sleep in. He’ll be fine. He snuck out of the castle while everyone was still in deep slumber, and made his way for the woods.  


He took his first break only in the midday. He made his way all the way up to the mountains, planning to find a small, secluded campsite where he can make his place and just relax. He used to this more often whenever Thor was being bothersome or when he had his friends over.  


It bothered him. Why was his brother so affectionate with him suddenly? So careful, so… Why was he treating him like a wounded animal?  


Groaning, he tried to shake the thought away as he disappeared deeper in the thick, dark forest.  


Finally, he found a spot he enjoyed. A tiny groove, surrounded by thick vegetation, a small stream not far from him. A perfect, tiny spot to camp in and relax for three days. He did tell his mother where he was going, and she promised him that she’ll keep it a secret. After all, she could see how jittery Loki was getting being cooped up with Thor.  


Just when he finished setting up his camp, he heard a couple of branches snap not far behind. Staying perfectly still, Loki tried to listen for any other sound. Something.  


A couple of more branches snap not long after that, but now Loki can see them. Dozens of yellow, gleaming eyes stare at him.  


He really must be out of his head as he had forgotten to place protection spells on his camp.  


The first few wolves fall easily. By the fourth wolf, Loki is sluggish. His blades and arms are covered by the warm blood of animals, and he can see more of them now, creeping out of the woods one by one.  


The sixth wolf is large and heavy and Loki is too slow on his feet when he feels teeth sink into his shoulder.  


A pained cry escapes him, and he knows he should have tapped into his magic sooner but if he tries to teleport now, he’ll bring this creature with him and his mind is too clouded with pain at the moment to think clearly.  


He never felt pain like this before.  


Sure, he went on some missions and expeditions with his sibling, but Loki always hanged out in the back only performing some distractions to confuse their enemy than face to face combat.  


The pain burns and Loki can’t hear the crackle of thunder.  


Finally, his knife finds the jugular of the wolf that was still attached to his shoulder, and the beast goes limp.  


This time he can hear the thunder crackles. It shoots down in bolts, striking a few of them and bouncing to others. The groove is filled with the smell of burning flesh.  


Most of the wolves make a run for it, so Loki sinks to his knees, clutching his bitten shoulder. He has some medicine packed in his bag but he needs a moment to catch his breath.  


Before he can take a deep breath in, he hears a familiar sound rush towards him. Thor, in his all large glory, is running towards him, his fingers still alit with the tiny sparks that spark from the tips of his fingers when he flexes them.  


“Brother!”  


Loki winces as Thor crashes beside him, one hand touching his cheek the other his hurt shoulder. His expression is full of terror and panic – not something he ever saw on his face.  


Loki can’t find the energy to swat him away. “How’d you- did mother tell you where I was?” he asked, his annoyance threatening to spill out of him.  


“You’re hurt-“ Thor muttered and looked beside himself. Something in his eyes was far too wild, far too broken. As if he was looking at something else but a flesh wound that would heal in a few weeks.  


He notices that Thor is trembling. It’s subtle, barely noticeable, but he feels it. He sees it.  


“I… I’m going to be just fine. Will you – ugh, stop-“He tried to swat his hand away from his hurt shoulder since he didn’t want Thor pressing about. After all, his brother wasn’t the best medic he knew.  


But Thor didn’t hear him – maybe he couldn’t hear him.  


“Nothing I do matters, you, you-“ He is muttering, his voice low. The storm that he brought along with him starts to thicken and Loki feels the rain drip down them. The cool water feels good against the wound, easing the pain in his wound.  


Loki stops for a few moments before he shifts to press his forehead to Thor’s, waiting for his brother to calm down.  


A few moments later, Thor’s head lulls and rests on Loki’s good shoulder. A small sigh escapes Loki – here he is, with his hurt shoulder, having the rain fall down on him and comforting his big brother. Just his luck.  


“Will you now tell me why you’ve been acting oddly for some time?”  


Thor is quiet for a few moments, before replying.  


“I came back from future.”  


The silence would be deafening if it weren’t for the heavy rain falling down.  


“… you what?”  


Loki can almost feel the small smile on Thor’s face against his clothes. Almost, but he can hear it loudly in his voice.

“Told you I’d tear time apart for you, Loki.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops that took me a bit to put out. Sorry, anything I wrote for months I really hated and didn't like how it was coming out.  
> However, I want to finish this story so I wrote what I think works and is best. The story left is max two chapters, so by the end of the year, it all should be wrapped.
> 
> Thank you to all that came back and to the new peeps! Any comments are greatly appreciated!
> 
> Also, a huge thank you to Sara. Who knows where this story would be without her.


	8. At the End.

A long time ago, Frigg brushed her fingers through Loki's raven hair. A gentle, soft touch. She told him of stories about people he never met, people who were long gone. Gods, Giants, Elves, humans. Stories about large battles and even bigger love stories. Her firstborn never cared much for stories, so having Loki listen to all of her stories and ask for more always filled her heart with love that she could never explain. She watched him grow into a young and strong man, capable of taking care of himself, even if he wasn't fully aware of it yet.

She hated how people treated him, even if they didn't know the full story of his birth. She hated how people scorned him, ignored him, avoided him. She hated herself for not knowing how to comfort her when he'd show up to her chambers, those big eyes full of tears threatening to spill. 

The only person she knew who could comfort him was Thor.

Her silly, odd boy. Loud and strong, yet careful when you'd least expect from him. They were quite the odd pair, but she loved them more than anyone ever could.

Maybe that was a lie she told herself – maybe those boys were capable of loving one another more than she'd give them credit to.

Thor has been acting strangely. 

He was softer, careful, he was quick to defend both Loki and her, he seemed to run away from any duty his father offered him. He shunned the throne his father was now offering him on a golden platter.

When Thor and Loki came from their little forest trip, Loki seemed to have forgiven Thor's oddities. His shoulder was healed, badly, but healed nonetheless. She fixed it up, and while Loki would usually tell her everything when they were alone, this time he didn't. It was only the roughest explanation. Not like him at all.

After that, the two seemed to finally be close, just how she always wanted them to be.

Then why couldn’t she shake away the feeling of dread whenever she watched them? Without any explanation to her own worries, Frigg promised herself to keep watch over her two sons. 

In the middle of the night, Thor's breathing was heavy and hard, his shoulders would lift and fall sharply with each intake of air. Sweat glistened on his pale skin, and his hair was matted over his temples. The grip on the balcony railing was so tight that the skin on his knuckles was as white as marble.

Loki stood in silence, as he watched his brother struggled to breathe.

The coronation was cancelled after Thor announced he didn’t feel ready for the obligation that it carried. Odin wasn’t too pleased as he had to deal with ambassador’s and even some kings who travelled so far just for it, but Thor didn’t feel like dealing with them. 

His time was still spent on Loki.

A few days ago, he finally told him everything. He told him about Loki’s heritage, about who he really is, about what was waiting for them in the future. He told him about their supposed sister, Hela. About the death of their parents. Their planet. 

Loki’s own death.

Surprisingly, Loki didn’t take it as badly as Thor imagined he would. He just sat quietly with him, on this very balcony, and then got up to down his drink. He paced around for a few moments before he sat down and watched the city.

He muttered something, but Thor didn’t make it out and Loki refused to explain it.

Other than that mutter, Loki didn’t seem to show any reaction to what he said. He told Thor not to tell anyone else about this. If Loki had a plan, he wasn’t sharing it.

His hand lands between Thor’s shoulder blades and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. His light blue eyes look towards him, holding his brother’s gaze for a few long moments, before closing his eyes again.

“The headache again?” 

Thor nodded before looking back to the city which was still asleep. It was the middle of the night but his headaches weren’t letting him sleep again. He tried to exhaust himself to sleep by training, but it didn’t work. None of Loki’s or his mother’s medicine was working. Nothing was helping.

“…Can I do something?” Loki inquired, his voice quiet. 

Thor looked back to his sibling and just knowing he was trying brought a smile to Thor’s face. He cherished the moments when Loki would let his guard down and be gentle with him. Because Thor knew he had it in him.

He always knew.

“I wonder.” Thor gave him a lazy smile, nudging his brother with his shoulder. “Any ideas? Maybe we could take my head and replace it with another.”

Loki rolled his eyes at that, nudging his brother back before drawing his hand back and leaning against the balcony railing beside him. “Maybe put a more handsome head on your shoulders if we do that. Or a smarter one with an actually good suggestion.”

Thor laughed at that, and for a blissful moment, his headache pulled back. It didn’t last, however, and the blond could only bow his head down. Was it the effect of the gauntlet? Was this time travel finally taking a toll on him? 

He refused to accept such a fate. He came back, certain that he will protect his parents, protect his home, protect his friends and protect Loki. He will protect all of them, even if he has to split his brain to do so.

He winces when he feels Loki’s cold fingers on his temple, brushing away his hair that was stuck to his skin from the sweat. He relaxes after a moment, looking over to him with a tired expression.

Loki’s face is hard to read. There is a look in his eyes that is hauntingly familiar, but he swears he never saw it on his face. What happened? Why is he like that? He just… had to know.

“It pains me to see you like this, brother.” 

Thor’s heart squeezes at such heartfelt words and his breath escapes him. That must have been the sweetest thing Loki said to him in such a long time. When they were little, Loki was far more affectionate and gentle, but time took its toll on the young boy. Hearing such words from such a grown man… it pulled on his heartstrings.

His lips tug into an exhausted smile. He wonders if he knows any words to comfort his brother properly. He can’t promise him something he can never give him. It would be cruel and harden Loki. He can’t tell him something he doesn’t know about.

More than anything, he wants to protect his sibling at all costs. No matter what.

Instead, he leans against him, eyes shut. 

Loki wraps an arm around him, and the two stand in silence, watching the stars glow above them.

Nothing is helping Thor. His headaches become constant. He can barely eat because of them, he can’t tolerate the sunlight anymore. He is withdrawn, recluse from the world.

No medicine is helping him.

Odin sends messengers all across the realms in hopes of finding a cure for his headaches. Many people go on missions and quests for what they hope could be the cure. 

Nothing seemed to work.

Thor was no longer aware of time passing. His room was darkened by the help of magic from his mother, no one dared to make any loud noises in the castle out of fear they would worsen the Prince’s pain.

Loki stayed at his brother’s side, never far away from him. He couldn’t bear to leave him on his own when he felt responsible for his brother’s pain. Was it because he went back in time to save him? Why would he…

Loki snapped out of his thoughts, hearing Thor groan softly. He turned to him and shifted from his chair to the bed where he was laying. He reached out to take the cloth from his forehead, thinking it must be cooled.

Thor grasped his hand before he could and he managed to open his eyes. They were bloody, puffy from his attempts to sleep and yet never being able to. It was a hard sight to see.

All of this was hard for Loki to bear. To know that Thor was suffering because of him, that his vibrant, loud, bright brother confided in this dark, cold, and quiet room. It was all too much for Loki to bear. How could Thor bear it?

The silence stretched between them, heavy.

Loki wondered if Thor knew the solution to his ailment, yet refused to share it. Loki knew of a way he could help, but… he knew that it was something Thor would never agree to.

“Brother,” Loki’s words were whispers, quiet and delicate, “Tell me how to help you.”

He knew he was begging at this point, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to something good for his brother, something that could help him.

Something to save him, some good deed he could perform just to make sure his brother was back to his old self.

Thor’s lips tug in a small smile before he barely shakes his head. “It will pass.”

Loki wanted to yell at him to stop this charade, to stop lying to him. He knew it wouldn’t pass. He knew.

It was his own selfishness that prevented him from acting upon his hunch earlier.

Thor was not of this time.

Yes, his body was still the same, but his mind wasn’t. His mind was older, his conscious wasn’t aligned with this age.

And that, and only that was causing these horrid migraines. No poison, no curse. Just Thor’s reckless self, so eager to help.

Loki settled close to him on the bed, sitting beside him. He lowered his hand and Thor decided to let go of it as well. He was quiet for a moment, before reaching out to lightly touch his cheek.

Was Thor willing to suffer for years on end, until the end of his days, just so Loki could live? Even then, it wasn’t certain he prevented it. Fate is fate – if Loki was destined to die at that moment…

You can’t cheat destiny.

“You have to go back to your time.”

Thor flinched at that and forced himself to sit up. The pain was visible on his face, and Loki wasn’t sure if it was from the migraine or from what Loki told him.

But it was the truth – Thor had to go back to his time. This wasn’t his place, not his time. He was just hurting himself by cheating the universe.

“No-“ Thor was in pain, even just trying to talk. “Then- You’re- I can’t do that, Loki.”

Loki smiled at him and nodded. “Yes. In your time, I’m dead.” He said quietly. He accepted it. Weeks ago, after Thor told him what happens in the future, he accepted it. If he had to die, so be it. His life wouldn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.

But the mere look on Thor’s face said that he couldn’t accept it. That he refused to accept it.

Yet, Loki knew he had to give up on himself. All his life he wanted nothing more than to be accepted and loved by all that he encountered, not realizing that the only thing that mattered was to be accepted and loved by the one person you love the most.

Loki is the luckiest, he thought to himself. For he has known love and acceptance.

Leaning in, he pressed his forehead to Thor’s, taking both of his larger hands in his. Clammy and hot his skin was, but Loki couldn’t care less.

Swallowing hard, his eyes locked onto Thor’s.

“You have to let me go, brother.” He said softly, brushing his thumbs along the length of Thor’s hands.

“I can’t, Loki-“

“You’ve given me more than I asked for, more than I deserve. Now is the time for you to go back to your time.”

“You’ll be gone…”

His voice revealed all of the pain he was trying so desperately to hide ever since he arrived. Loki didn’t want it, he didn’t know how to handle it. 

He pulled back and pressed a small kiss to his sweaty forehead.

"Yes, but not fully. A part of me will always be with you. Here,” Loki moved his hand to Thor’s chest, just above his beating heart. “I promise you.”

Thor’s blue eyes were full of bitter tears as he looked at Loki, swallowing hard. He knew he had to accept it, no matter the pain.

He nods, solemn and quiet.

Loki hides a smile as he uses his magic to bring Thor’s mind where it belonged. 

The cold, dark room faded away.

Thor could smell the burnt grass, feel the residue of electricity on his skin. 

He falls on the ground, one hand heavier than the other. He forces his eyes open and he sees the golden gauntlet at his side. He pulls his hand out and presses both hands to his face. He could feel the last bits of the sunshine shining onto them, and he fears his headache would worsen with the sunlight.

But it doesn’t. His mind is blissfully at ease. No pounding, no pressure.

And yet...

Thor can hear a familiar, loving voice calling out to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to anyone and everyone who read along to the end. I will not be updating this as I feel like this is the ending I prefer to all the others and something for you all to think about. 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments. 
> 
> Today is the premiere of Endgame in my hometown, and I can't wait to see it. I know it will not be like anything I wrote, but hey, I'm still more than excited. 
> 
> Excelsior!


End file.
